By Rhonda
Going out on top. Every year, big-name athletes and coaches contemplate moving on to the next phase of their lives. They gave everything they possibly could to their sport and it’s tough to let go, but Villanova’s Jay Wright did just that. The Hall of Fame coach stunned the college hoops world retiring at 60. BOOM. No one saw this coming. This was a guy on top – making 6+M per, winning the NCAA Championship in 2016 and 2018, and taking his fourth ’Nova team to the Final Four this month. So, why retire? Class. Dignity. Family time. Less demanding lifestyle. But, could some of it have been the NCAA’s brave new world? It’s a theory.
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) April 21, 2022
Wright is the third high-profile D-I men’s basketball coach to retire in the past 13 months, following Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and UNC’s Roy Williams. Wright is only 60. Krzyzewski is 75 and Williams was 70 when he retired. This creates a massive leadership vacuum in the sport. It further leaves college sports void of three powerful voices as the sport navigates the crazy new world of NIL and the transfer portal.
Is the wild-west mentality of the NIL and the transfer portal driving the old guard away? Williams was very clear – he didn’t like the transfer rule and he didn’t like this new era of college basketball. “I think it will be the most significant piece of legislation that’s ever happened in college basketball,” Williams stated. So, he bowed out gracefully. Respect.
And it is clearly a NEW ERA. It started three years ago with the inception of the transfer portal. Players could tell all schools they were available, get recruited again and play right away. No sitting out for a year needed. Then, this last July, we saw the NCAA welcome NIL (Name, Image, Likeness). This rule was implemented to allow college athletes to make money off their name. But, here’s what’s really happening – Boosters are funding collectives to recruit and keep players. What’s a collective? It’s a group of fans who are pooling their money and resources to maximize the amount of money athletes can earn for performing NIL activities.
The boosters are being criticized but trying to deflect their actions by having the athletes get paid for charity work. Look, what did we think was going to happen? Come on. You think college alumni and fans are just going to watch big name athletes go? NOT A CHANCE.
This new sneaky culture of the NIL is going to be the final straw for some coaches. I don’t think Wright will be the first to retire early. This big money game outside of the actual game is getting complicated. The job of a head coach is completely different than it was four or five years ago. Just ask Roy Williams. You can have a legendary coach or a legendary program, but if you don’t have a collective ready to make offers, you’re done. Further, this is based on what your state allows and how organized your boosters are. Are boosters allowed to talk to the coach? The athletic director? Even the player that plays for a year, he/she may go off next year and make money somewhere else. That’s called the transfer portal. That’s called student power.
Part 5: NIL (input from current D1 coaches)
Parents/players meet. Even if player is happy at his current school, promise of $ lures them away. Two coaches said one high profile player has been offered $750K to transfer. Player is now weighing options from many teams. All legal.— Mark Adams (@EnthusiAdams) April 22, 2022
The game used to be made of powerful coaches who were decision makers and savvy recruiters. This new age coach has to be a player’s coach and be able to work with a lot of diverse opinions. This is a student athlete’s world now and the coaches are just living in it.
The NIL and the NCAA are a fast moving train. Even if coaches don’t want to deal, most are replaceable and the idea that college sports are going to change to appease multi-millionaire coaches is laughable. Kyle Neptune, 37, will be Villanova’s next head coach. He was a longtime Wright assistant. There are always going to be these young, hungry coaches waiting in the wings ready to deal with this brave new world of college sports.
Picture Credit: Arturo Holmes
